It seems that we are keen to play the 3 top 2020 draftees early this season. It makes sense to play them early as they tend to tire out as the long season wears on. There are just so many kids we can play in the same side. I'm sure Stephens, McInerney and Warner will get a good share of game time this season, but there will have to be sharing of senior time for our recent draft picks. Just too many to fit into the same team.
The injury to Fox might just be the opening Ling needs to cement a spot in the backline. COR didn't arrive in Sydney until January and then had to spend a couple of weeks in quarantine, so he's going to be a month or so behind in his training schedule.
Maybe the most impressive part of the scratch match last week was the Swans' pressure all over the ground. I thought the Giants were poor in their forward pressure by comparison. The hard work of Bell and Wicks, their willingness to keep chasing is being rewarded with a shot at a round 1 spot in the side. There's a greater appreciation for work off the ball than in previous times and we can spare a couple of spots for those who excel at this. Bell snapped a couple of nice goals last week, one on each side. He's developed a good balance between offense and defence. Wicks we know puts a big focus on pressure footy. Hewett is a good shut down midfielder who can provide plenty of offense as well.
As I've said before, we should be prepared for lots of selection surprises this year. It makes for exciting times to have so many players in the selection window.
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